Hot Chocolate Cakes (Molten Lava Cakes)

These Hot Chocolate Cakes, also known as Molten Lava Cakes, not only look fancy, but they taste like you have just eaten at an expensive 5-star restaurant. They are extremely easy to make, and pretty quick to make, start to finish, as well! The recipe come from one of my favorite places on the earth…you guessed it…Neiman Marcus! I strongly recommend that you buy “The Neiman Marcus Cookbook” by Kevin Garvin; it is wonderful! I made these Hot Chocolate Cakes this past weekend for my husband and two friends and they were a hit! The boys loved them and were in awe with how the inside was like pudding and the outside was like a brownie.

When you cut into these cakes, expect to be amazed when “chocolate lava”, or chocolate pudding consistency, pours out of the chocolate cake. When you make these, allow the cakes to “set up” just a little before you invert them on plates…otherwise, you’ll have a runny, pudding mess! The set up time allows for the cakes to maintain its brownie-like exterior, and pudding-like interior. Sprinkle them with powdered sugar and top with fresh raspberries. A scoop of vanilla ice cream melts wonderfully with the hot chocolate cakes!

If you happen to have leftovers, refrigerate the cakes, and the next day they taste just like fudge! I probably gained 5 pounds this weekend just on molten lava cakes! They are so delicious! Enjoy!

Hot Chocolate Cakes (Molten Lava Cakes)
Ingredients
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp. Amaretto liqueur (I didn’t have)
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
8 tsp. butter, for preparing dessert molds
8 tsp. granulated sugar, for preparing dessert molds

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter and chocolate and add Amaretto. Remove from double boiler and add eggs and egg yokes. Using a wire whisk, temper the yolks and chocolate while whisking to combine; the mixture will be very thick.
3. In a large bowl, sift together flour and confectioner’s sugar and then stir into chocolate mixture.
4. Spoon about 1/2 cup of mixture into each of the 8 buttered and sugar-sprinkled dessert molds with a diameter of 2 1/2 inches. Place molds on cookie sheet in oven.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes (mine took about 10-15 minutes), until cakes are set on the outside. They will look like finished brownies on the outside, and will be soft like pudding in the inside.
6. Remove the cakes from the molds and serve immediately.

Yield: 8 individual molten cakes
Neiman Marcus Cookbook

Nanny’s Pound Cake

This is my great-aunt, Nanny’s homemade Pound Cake. Her recipe is a family favorite and we only use her’s to make pound cake. My mom made this cake in 2 loaf pans; one for us, and one to give away. My favorite way to eat this is by spreading a layer of lemon curd on the plate, and topping the pound cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with fresh berries. Enjoy!!!

Nanny’s Pound Cake
Ingredients
2 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter
6 eggs
3 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (or sour cream)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions
1. Cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy
2. Add eggs one at a time, beating well.
3. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture alternatively with buttermilk (or sour cream), beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat.
4. Pour in greased and lightly floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until cake tests done. (Or you can bake in 2 loaf pans for 45 to 50 minutes).

One Year Anniversary Cake

Well it was my husband and my 1st year anniversary yesterday so we celebrated by grilling out bison burgers and eating the top of our one year old cake. Here is a picture of the cake…it was extremely pretty, but after 1 year, the icing had crystallized, so it wasn’t very good. The cake part was fine…it was champagne flavored. Apparently when we were cake sampling a year ago, I liked this flavor….now I wished it was carrot cake, oh well!

Nila’s Coconut Cake

My Dad’s birthday is today and he requested a coconut cake. I am surprised because his normal request is mississippi mud, a decadent chocolate cake with marshmallow cream and chocolate frosting (pictures will come when I make this next!)

This coconut cake recipe is my grandmother, Nila’s recipe. It is super easy and extremely tasty and sweet. It uses a cake mix, so there is not a lot of prep work involved. Enjoy!

Mix together the cake mix, eggs, oil, sour cream, and coconut milk in an electric mixer. Mix until smooth.

Pour batter into greased and lightly floured 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat together powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and enough milk to make the frosting spread in an electric mixer.

With cake still warm, spread frosting onto cake. Sprinkle with sweetened coconut.

Nila’s Coconut Cake
Cake Ingredients
1 white cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup Crisco oil
8 oz sour cream
1-8 oz can coconut milk

Frosting Ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar
3 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
whole milk, enough to make the frosting spread

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and lightly flour a 9 x 13 inch pan.
3. Mix all cake ingredients together in an electric mixer until smooth.
4. Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
5. While cake is baking, prepare frosting, by mixing powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and milk together in an electric mixer.
6. While cake is still warm, spread frosting on the top of cake.
7. Sprinkle with sweetened coconut.
8. Allow cake to cool, and serve.